COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - The Colorado Rapids (7-7-4, 25 pts.) hit the road for a midweek matchup in the Midwest against St. Louis CITY SC (3-5-9, 18 pts.) on Wednesday night. Kickoff at CITYPARK is set for 6:30 p.m. MT (Apple TV—Free, Altitude Sports Radio 950AM).
Both sides are set for their second of three matches in an eight-day span as they look for crucial points at the midway point of the 2024 MLS Season. Colorado currently sits sixth in the Western Conference, while St. Louis are hovering below the playoff line in 11th place.
Wednesday's contest will be the first time that these two have gone up against each other this season and the third all-time since St. Louis’ inaugural season in MLS last year. In the first meeting, Colorado fell at CITYPARK in 2023, 2-0, but would hold the eventual top seed in the Western Conference to a draw at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, 1-1 in the second meeting.
The Rapids enter the midweek match following a dominant performance this past Saturday against Austin FC at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. Goals from Cole Bassett and Rafael Navarro lifted the Rapids to a 2-0 victory with help from the back line and goalkeeper Zack Steffen.
Bassett tied a single-season career high in goals with his sixth of the season and Steffen posted his first clean sheet at home in 2024.
St. Louis will look to bounce back from their most recent match, a 2-0 loss on the road at the hands of FC Dallas. The side continued their winless run on the road in MLS this season, bringing their record to 0-3-5 away from home. Despite their road woes, St. Louis has found their most success at CITYPARK in 2024.
As was the story last season, St. Louis has made CITYPARK a tough place to play for any MLS club that enters. The club is 3-2-4 at home this season, building off their Western Conference high of 11 wins at home last year. While the team has had that success at home, they have had their fair share of struggles as of late. St. Louis is winless in their last three home matches (0-2-1), leaving an opportunity for Colorado to continue that trend for the opposition.
On the opposing end will be a familiar face in Anthony Markanich. The defender was selected 26th overall by the Rapids in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft from Northern Illinois University, making 17 appearances across all competitions for the Rapids during his two seasons with the club. Additionally, these two head coaches have spent time together, with Chris Armas and Bradley Carnell being on the technical staff for the New York Red Bulls from 2018 to 2020.
